Prop 8 federal trial (begins January 11)

[Holmes]

A federal judge in San Francisco said today that he wants the trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 to be videotaped and distributed over the Internet.

"This certainly is a case that has sparked widespread interest," U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker said during a hearing. "I think a trial can be highly informative."

If Walker's view is endorsed, as expected, by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the legal battle over same-sex marriage will become the first federal trial in nine Western states to be videotaped for public distribution, according to Thomas Burke, a media attorney.

In addition to running the entire proceedings on a delayed basis on YouTube, the videotape would be broadcast at several other federal courthouses, Walker said.

But what about the great citizens who will stand up for the right of the people to be upheld? They will be seen as hatred bigots! I wonder why.

   This is no ordinary trial. This is a trial in a case where thousands of ordinary citizens have already faced a wave of hatred for participating in democracy. On Oct. 22, the Heritage Foundation released a report titled "The Price of Prop. 8," which concluded that "supporters of Proposition 8 in California have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry." (Read it at www.heritage.org.) To deliberately and needlessly expose these people to a new wave of publicity and attacks by televising the trial is outrageous.

Barf.

[Free Palestine]

The federal government should not be involved in the issue of same-sex marriage, at all.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

That'll be an interesting case.

[Brittain33]

The federal government should not be involved in the issue of same-sex marriage, at all.

I have to file my taxes as married in Massachusetts and as single federally. When I came back from my honeymoon, my partner and I had to go to separate lines as passport control because we weren't family. Maybe they shouldn't, but as long as they recognize marriage, they will have to eventually.

[Holmes]

From NOM's latest fundraiser blast... paranoia or fear mongering to raise the $$$?

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By the way, as clever as I think their lawyers are, I see them as a group that already have all their arguments before they begin, so if the pre-trials are any indication, I foresee a lot of awkwardness from their lawyers.